Residential Construction; The REAL Habitat For Humanity

For those of us who have accepted the call of the Holy Spirit, and responded to the offer of God’s forgiveness through faith in Christ, we have a foundation in our lives. This foundation is the faith we have in the atoning work of Christ. He has not only cleaned our humanity from our sinful past, but He has also given us a brand new start in life – His life! In the passage below, the Apostle Paul uses this illustration of building a house to emphasize how we should conduct ourselves now that we are saved from a life of sin. In fact, there are many places throughout the Word of God that use this comparison regarding our humanity. The thoughts and actions we take in this life are a way for us to ‘build’ our spiritual residence (research the word tabernacle for another way to look at the usage). According to this passage, we can use all types of building materials as we construct our humanity, our ‘residence,’, but they have vastly different results when God puts these things to the test!

1 Cor 3:11-15

For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

How then do we go about building our residence? It start with free will, because we are free moral agents. We came to Christ of our own free will, and we exercised that will to accept the truth of God’s Word concerning Christ. Faith in Christ is not the end of things, but just the beginning! Once He has been accepted we now have the opportunity to continue following Christ in our day-to-day lives. We also have opportunity to just go along in our own power and muddle through life the best we can. So what does this distinction mean for us? A LOT! People have options in how they conduct themselves once they come to Christ. For those who desire more out of life, Christ offers leadership, insight and power to live according to the leading of the Holy Spirit (John 1:12-13). This is God’s best, and what He desires for each and every one of us. We have the freedom to seek Him more and more every day, but we also have the freedom to allow ourselves to become distracted by the things we go through. Either way, we have choices in what we do. He does not make Christians live the way He desires; instead He allows us free choice to continue our journey with or without His grace. Is it possible for Christians to go through life in peace and contentment? Of course. Is it possible for Christians to go through life in turmoil and confusion? Of course. People who are ‘saved’ are not magically transformed into Super-Saints! Instead, it is a gradual unfolding of a growth in faith as we apply God’s Word in our lives, and often the things we do are in direct proportion to the amount of time we choose to spend with Him;

John 15:5-8

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

People become confused, frustrated and preoccupied by situations and events in life because they choose to make dealing with these things on their own more of a priority than spending time with Christ through the Word and prayer. Is that God’s best? Certainly not, but God is not a dictator. He does not make us come to Him, and He does not make us follow Him the way that He wishes. We have free will. This is why Paul cautions each of us to be careful about how we conduct our lives. He lets us know that the choices we make have eternal consequences. For the Christian it’s not a question of salvation; rather it’s a question of sanctification.

A good example of this principle is in how we would react to an unfair statement. If someone says something untrue or hateful about us we have the opportunity to respond. If we follow the pressure of the minute, or act out of anger or revenge, then we are ‘building’ our residence with wood, hay and straw. On the other hand, if we listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and follow what He would have us do, we use the lasting materials of gold, silver and precious stones. Cussing someone out or trying to ‘get even’ is not God’s way to respond, and we will suffer loss for those types of actions. If we respond in love (such as praying for that person or actively seeking reconciliation with them), we will be rewarded.

So then, how can we be sure to ‘put our best foot forward’ whenever the situation calls for it? There is only one way, and that is by taking time daily to develop a living and growing relationship with Christ first, before these things come up! The more we purposefully spend time with Him, the more His nature and character will be manifested in our lives. It is not something we do ourselves, it is what He does in us. It is a direct and proportional result of how much time we decide to spend with Him. By making time for Christ we make ourselves available, allowing Him to work through us in changing ourselves and in reaching others. By spending time with Christ in the Word and prayer we help build a solid spiritual house for ourselves.

That’s something to really think about, considering the eternal consequences!